I wholly understood Jo Biden's demand aimed at Trump last night when he said ‘Will you shut up, man!' The sentiment was justified. The anger appropriate. The frustration at Trump's deliberate attempt to close down debate by breaking the agreed rules of engagement was suitable. Do not ask me to condemn Biden's outburst when it was apt. I won't.
In fact, let me go a little further. I think Biden was right to be so direct. And he was right to be forthright. This was, in fact, righteous anger, directed at two things.
The first was incompetence. Just as it is appropriate to yell at the person in serious danger to warn them of the immediate risk that they are in, so too is it appropriate to raise a voice, and express real concern when a person's incompetence creates immediate peril for others. There are moments when the able have to say ‘Stop it, now' because we will all lose if you don't.
The second was that the implication that the person the anger was aimed at was not fit to hold their position. Biden make this clear. He said that Trump was ‘so unpresidential'. And he was right to do so. His anger expressed a sentiment many feel. Biden has the opportunity to say it. And he could do so from a position of authority. As a Vice President with eight years experience he knows from close quarters what the job of President involves. And what he did was what those with competence sometimes have to do, and that is to call out the incompetent. That is their duty.
I have seen it said that the debate was uncivil. Biden's comment was included in the evidence that this was the case. I disagree. Trump was uncivil. We know, and expect, that. But there is no duty to tolerate that, as some suggest. The demand that we are all ‘nice' all the time, which seems to now be commonplace, which demand forbids the expression of criticism, let alone anger on occasion, is deeply dangerous when faced with real risk.
That is partly because those who deliberately create risk to oppress those who they expect to always be ‘nice' use that knowledge to get their way. Abuse follows, as night does day, and that is not acceptable. The failure to speak up in such situations is an action that facilitates the abuse.
And it is also partly because this is to deny the nature of us as human beings. There is good reason why we must all learn to control anger. We cannot co-exist unless we do. But that does not mean all anger is wrong. Anger is a normal human reaction to injustice, including that created deliberately or otherwise by the malicious and the incompetent. And sometimes that anger has to be expressed to ensure that a wrong is addressed. To do otherwise would be wrong.
I don't want a US President who is perpetually angry. That serves no one. But would I like to see a US President who can identify abuse and who is angry about it and demand action to address it? Yes, I do. As I want the same in many other situations.
And for the record, I do very occasionally get angry. It's not often. But I do, usually when faced with incompetence that creates unnecessary and avoidable risk that has to be addressed. I don't apologise for that. The alternative is to facilitate the incompetence and endorse the failing. I won't do that.
And I know all the risks from getting angry. It does not make you popular. Biden can expect a backlash for not being ‘nice'. But I'd remind those who want the world to be nice of the words of George Bernard Shaw who suggested that reasonable people bend themselves to the ways of the world, and unreasonable people seek to bend the world to their ways, meaning that all progress is dependent upon the existence of unreasonable people. I think he was right. If Jo Biden is a touch unreasonable thank goodness for that. It is an essential quality in a President. And sometimes a few eggshells will get broken as a result.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
The problem is Biden looks live a moving corpse…he looks like somebody that has been embalmed. If you rubbed some Pledge on his face with a microfibre cloth he could pass as a character on Stingray.
Insults about appearance are not an argument against him. He looks OK to me, though elderly. You could say that Franklin D. Roosevelt was a cripple, in a wheelchair, but was was a great Democratic President.
What America actually needs is a president elect and opposition party who is not receiving campaign funding from the same SOBs who fund the party who are currently power.
That’s what America needs – end of.
‘What America actually needs is a president elect and opposition party who is not receiving campaign funding from the same SOBs who fund the party who are currently power.’
Note Sir Keir Starmer’s appeal to those wealthy donors who once funded the Labour Party (and who fell away on Jeremy Corbyn’s election to the Party leadership). A return to the ‘norms’ of political funding and business as usual. What chance we little folk have any say in what goes on, other than the ballot box. In the end we vote for flip sides of the same coin. It is time for something different isn’t it?
Well this certainly makes me angry:
https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1311137473695629312?s=20
Yes it was so obvious Trump was out to wreck the whole “debate* by his stupid bullying and heckling. Biden had no choice but to put down the childish oaf that Trump is. Biden also showed that he was not a doddering forgetful 77 year old that the US media (Fox et al) are trying to make out.
“Biden also showed that he was not a doddering forgetful 77 year old”…disagree 100%..he looks like he has been plucked from a care home and given a night out!!
Neither of them is competent. Neither of them is civil. I have felt absolutely nothing except anger at either of our useless 100% corrupt political parties for over a decade. The only thing either party compete’s over is rich suburban republicans who don’t want to pay taxes, which is why our tax code is so insane that a billionaire pays less income tax than a janitor (not even rates, actual dollar amount). Joe Biden will fix none of that. He has already promised his billionaire donors from the fossil fuel industry that “nothing will fundamentally change.” The ONLY question on the ballot, in fact the only question that is ever on the ballot, is ‘do you want the news to act like the homicidal amount of corruption is insane, brazen, and norm shattering? or would you like them to pretend it isn’t happening?’ Materially improving your quality of life, is as usual, not on offer. If I could vote to nuke Washington DC, I would in a heartbeat.
I find it astonishing that these two ageing men are the best the USA can find, I admit
There is no perfect leader or perfect political party. I just take the Chomsky line – always vote against the worst and keep up the activism for what you want. Biden was chosen in the US Presidential Primaries; in some way he must suit the voters that the Democratic Party wants. In the UK we had young charismatic Blair who led us into a disastrous war that has destabilized the Middle East for the past 20 years and led to the formation of Islamic State, we had the charming Cameron who set up a silly referendum on EU membership that he misgauged, from which we are now approaching chaos.
It wasn’t a presidential debate more a trip to the zoo to watch a mentally ill ape go on a rant rampage. Can’t imagine many Americans bothering to watch the next two debates. Of course the rant rampage was meant to be the “Wall of Noise” tactic that Boris Johnson uses but with Trump it was so much part of his true persona (other human beings are objects there to serve his objectives) it went off the Richter Scale. Observing it was horrible, horrible, horrible when you realise so many of Trump supporters are like that, individuals like the Proud Boys who had poor parenting in which they were never taught the importance of balancing their needs with those of others. Much of the worst capitalism we see in the world is like that!
Spot on, Richard. To my surprise, I managed to watch the entire debate this morning on Youtube – fixated on the magnetic power of Biden’s dogged self-control and determined ability to cut through the bullying crap and the blabber-mouth spray of barefaced lies. This Trump couldn’t sell dubious household products off a barrow – and Biden’s whole demeanour – anger very much included – was, to me, a devastatingly effective contrast.
And he had themes which – again for me – cut through. The voice of reason with the, perfectly ironic, repeated mantra – “Here’s the deal…” Then there was the repeated “He has no plan…” which Trump’s bluster repeatedly demonstrated. And perhaps most tellingly, the repeated straight to camera, often with a pointing finger or framing hand, lines on ‘folks at home’, ‘not about us – this is about you’ and finally, “Vote, vote vote”.
Biden’s occasional fluff of a word or number, like his elderly appearance (Am I really going to look that much older in eight months time?) faded away in comparison with the way that his unwavering determination was displayed by his ability to keep his cool and focus throughout Trump’s puce-faced failure as a flustered bully. Yet this still left room for Biden’s impassioned – and thus slightly spluttered – recall of his feelings on Trump’s “very fine people on both sides”, when one side included the Klan. This was a strikingly genuine statement of disgust – and, yes, anger – at Trump’s, historically shaming, trashing of the Presidency. I’ve seen many analyses by the commentariat this morning but I suspect that they are hugely underestimating the satisfaction that will – rightly – be felt in Biden’s camp. This man looked and sounded every inch a President.
What everyone has to realise is that these two are the product of a failed political system. What country with any sense of responsibility would have a babyish idiot fighting a geriatric relic.
Only a population that has taken no interest in politics through idleness and self interest can produce this scenario.
Come on UK wake up and realise that we already have the baby mentality in the leader and an opposition that is more interested in the finer points of debating rather than appealing to real people?
This election is about getting rid of Trump. He’s old as well …in fact only three years younger than Biden. His VP is old. Biden’s is not. As if that actually matters just now. Just get rid of Trump.
It’s a shame the Dems didn’t have a young and vibrant Obama to set up in opposition to Trump, but they didn’t. Many potential leaders are coming up the Dem ranks, but none stand out as of yet. Personally I’d have preferred Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders to Joe Biden, but they’re old as well.
This election is about getting rid of Trump–and hopefully a large portion of the Senate that has enabled him over the past 4 years. If Biden wins, and the Senate gets flipped and the Dems increase numbers in the House, I’m sure whatever happens next will be an improvement. How could it not be?
Improvement–but certainly not perfection. Perfection is a long way off. And the fight against Trump isn’t won yet either. I am so disheartened by the people I know (some are relatives) who still support Trump. I can’t imagine why. I really can’t. I will never think of these people with respect again, unfortunately. Lots has been killed during these past four years.
Meanwhile, back in the UK …yikes….
I agree…improvement, but a long way from perfection
I could wish for much more
Check-out his running-mate……
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris